Ok .. so I fried my Kindle. Apparently one should never have their Kindle turned on AND plugged into the hard drive and hit reboot on their computer.
Live and Learn ... Dave doubt's I'll ever learn! BUT I HAVE with this experience. So had to get a new Kindle .. what to do, what to do ... order a brand new one at the super sale price of $189 OR order a factory refurbished one at $90.00. Decisions, decisions .. wait, I have no money ... ok, factory refurbished it is!
What was so INCREDIBLE about the "Kindle Incident" was Amazon support!
Went into their website to see what I could do, and after attempting their often requested solutions to problems such as mine, found where you could e-mail for live tech support help. A small form to fill out and a place to CLICK that says: e-mail me or call me.
Clicked on CALL ME ... and the phone immediately rang! I mean immediately .. my hand hadn't even left the mouse yet! And there was Amazon Kindle Tech Support on the line for me!! The nicest woman to talk to ... I told her "hottest day of the year and I do this to my Kindle and now I was going to go home and kick my dog". She says .. "no no no don't kick your dog. If it's that hot out, get one of those water guns and shoot at him .. you'll feel better and he'll cool down getting wet!" .. and she had a sense of humor too!
Of course, the outcome was I needed the new Kindle. She double checked my payment info and put the order in. That was on Wednesday .. the Kindle arrived on Friday. And they shipped it BEFORE I even put the 'toasted' one off in the mail to them .. with their prepaid return postage, I might add!
I hate that I did what I did .. but I am more than astounded with the quality of Amazon's tech support!
Almost Surreal!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
No - no - say it ain't so!
Downloaded Jim Butcher's latest Harry Dresden "Changes" to my Kindle and started reading. Went through it like a little whirlwind ... and then I got to the ending. Went forward ... no, that was the end. Went back a couple of pages ... still the same ending. Dave had been impatiently waiting for me to get through it .. I deliberately didn't tell him I had it downloaded until I'd started reading .. he would have laid claim to the book device before I got to it! So when I announced I'd finished it, he pounced!
He was nearly through it this morning and couldn't stop reading! I took a look-see and saw he'd be through in a little while, so stayed home waiting for him to finish. I wanted to see his face when he got to the ending. Needless to say, Debbie beat me to the shop this morning! Dave felt the same way I did ... ".. Butcher had better come out with another book within the next week or so - we can't wait! This had better NOT be the end of the series!" I'm sure we'll be discussing this further when I get home tonight.
Ok .. now I have a phew and a not-so-phew.
Not So Phew: Just found out Changes is NOT The end of the series!
Phew: Next edition isn't due out till March 2011.
He was nearly through it this morning and couldn't stop reading! I took a look-see and saw he'd be through in a little while, so stayed home waiting for him to finish. I wanted to see his face when he got to the ending. Needless to say, Debbie beat me to the shop this morning! Dave felt the same way I did ... ".. Butcher had better come out with another book within the next week or so - we can't wait! This had better NOT be the end of the series!" I'm sure we'll be discussing this further when I get home tonight.
Ok .. now I have a phew and a not-so-phew.
Not So Phew: Just found out Changes is NOT The end of the series!
Phew: Next edition isn't due out till March 2011.
Monday, June 21, 2010
New Stuffs!
New Stuffs just poured through the door of the shop today ... Pine Mountain Designs, Samsarah Designs, Just Another Button Company, Rosewood Manor, and .. Lizzie Kate!
Now I'm in trouble .. I HAVE to stitch her new Christmas Rules series .. I must stitch it! And, upon looking at her Giggle Boxer - All You Need Is Love And Chocolate - have decided that I must stitch that one too. I'm going to turn it into a 'wedding/anniversary' design by putting (or trying to put) mine and Dave's name where the squiggles are at the very bottom. We're both such huge chocoholics ... we hide chocolate on each other. He puts his stash on the top shelf in the pantry .. I'd have to haul a chair over and stand on tippy-toes to get to that shelf. Don't tell him .. I hide mine in the bathroom linen closet. hee hee hee
And I got a good look at "Eek Boo Hiss" and that CAT is just too too funny! Dare I say it .. another addition to the stash pile?
And got a brochure catalog today from Shepherd's Bush of all their new kits .. will have to scan those tomorrow and add them to the website so you can see too! I love SB - always have since even before they were 'SB' and were designing for Vanessa Ann!
And .. I want to FELT Samsarah's Hip Hop Moo ... with the cow jumping over the moon! That would be a stitch (so to speak) in wool!
That's what I did today .. brought in a huge box of felted sculptures to the shop where the light is good and there's a flat table with no cats strolling around to get in the way. I took pictures of each one .. from 4 different angles. Have decided to put them up on my Etsy shop FIRST to see if they sell there .. and if they don't, they're going to the Art Show anyway .. and if they do sell, I'll just have to make more! Now to find the time to reduce the images, check the brightness/contrast of each, get the text written and put in all the keywords and then upload them to DebFeltIt on Etsy. After I figure out pricing of course.
You should see the lump/bruise/slight break in skin by my knee where that dratted pony kicked me!!!
Have no idea IF they were found or are still running free .. hope they're fine though wherever they are!
Now I'm in trouble .. I HAVE to stitch her new Christmas Rules series .. I must stitch it! And, upon looking at her Giggle Boxer - All You Need Is Love And Chocolate - have decided that I must stitch that one too. I'm going to turn it into a 'wedding/anniversary' design by putting (or trying to put) mine and Dave's name where the squiggles are at the very bottom. We're both such huge chocoholics ... we hide chocolate on each other. He puts his stash on the top shelf in the pantry .. I'd have to haul a chair over and stand on tippy-toes to get to that shelf. Don't tell him .. I hide mine in the bathroom linen closet. hee hee hee
And I got a good look at "Eek Boo Hiss" and that CAT is just too too funny! Dare I say it .. another addition to the stash pile?
And got a brochure catalog today from Shepherd's Bush of all their new kits .. will have to scan those tomorrow and add them to the website so you can see too! I love SB - always have since even before they were 'SB' and were designing for Vanessa Ann!
And .. I want to FELT Samsarah's Hip Hop Moo ... with the cow jumping over the moon! That would be a stitch (so to speak) in wool!
That's what I did today .. brought in a huge box of felted sculptures to the shop where the light is good and there's a flat table with no cats strolling around to get in the way. I took pictures of each one .. from 4 different angles. Have decided to put them up on my Etsy shop FIRST to see if they sell there .. and if they don't, they're going to the Art Show anyway .. and if they do sell, I'll just have to make more! Now to find the time to reduce the images, check the brightness/contrast of each, get the text written and put in all the keywords and then upload them to DebFeltIt on Etsy. After I figure out pricing of course.
You should see the lump/bruise/slight break in skin by my knee where that dratted pony kicked me!!!
Have no idea IF they were found or are still running free .. hope they're fine though wherever they are!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Wild Reading Too!
A friend (Thanks Cathy!!) turned me on to an author's (J. A. Konrath) series (Jack Daniels mysteries). I LOVE them! A bit too 'gorey' for late night in bed reading, but so far I've not had any nightmares where the story continues in my brain. (read them in order to have them make the most sense!) The problem with a series is ... when you get to the last one, you have to WAIT for the next to come out! Someone should do something about that!!
I DO have a book to start tonight .. a real live paper turn the page book, not on my Kindle. When I was in Columbus for the Trade Show Market, Theresa and I took an afternoon cab ride to this really cool book store - The Book Loft In German Village - that is located in a former 'house' and is nearly a block long! 32 ROOMS of books .. each room a different section; each room having different music playing in it. You'd think there would be a cacophony of sound, but you only heard "BOTH" musics as you were leaving one room and entering another. I guess the 'books' absorbed the sound ... pretty cool!
Anyway ... the book I had to buy for myself is "Three Bags Full" .. A Sheep Detective Story! I read the first paragraph and broke out laughing .. all alone in a room full of books and laughing till I nearly cried! I'd try to read a piece of the book to Theresa and don't think she could understand me through my giggling!
Here's the 'review': In this refreshingly original detective story from debut German author Swann, a flock of sheep investigates the murder of their beloved shepherd, George Glenn. Leading the effort is Miss Maple, considered the cleverest sheep in the Irish seaside village of Glennkill. She slyly "pretends" to graze while eavesdropping on suspects who come to search George's caravan for something he may have died for. When a long-lost ram recounts an incident that occurred upon his departure years earlier, Miss Maple uncovers the catalyst for George's death. The wooly troupe reveals the crime's solution in a near-Shakespearean mime at the annual "Smartest Sheep in Glennkill" contest. The author's sheep's-eye view and the animals' literal translation of the strange words and deeds of the human species not only create laugh-out-loud humor but also allow the animals occasional flashes of accidental brilliance.
I LOVE BOOKS!
I DO have a book to start tonight .. a real live paper turn the page book, not on my Kindle. When I was in Columbus for the Trade Show Market, Theresa and I took an afternoon cab ride to this really cool book store - The Book Loft In German Village - that is located in a former 'house' and is nearly a block long! 32 ROOMS of books .. each room a different section; each room having different music playing in it. You'd think there would be a cacophony of sound, but you only heard "BOTH" musics as you were leaving one room and entering another. I guess the 'books' absorbed the sound ... pretty cool!
Anyway ... the book I had to buy for myself is "Three Bags Full" .. A Sheep Detective Story! I read the first paragraph and broke out laughing .. all alone in a room full of books and laughing till I nearly cried! I'd try to read a piece of the book to Theresa and don't think she could understand me through my giggling!
Here's the 'review': In this refreshingly original detective story from debut German author Swann, a flock of sheep investigates the murder of their beloved shepherd, George Glenn. Leading the effort is Miss Maple, considered the cleverest sheep in the Irish seaside village of Glennkill. She slyly "pretends" to graze while eavesdropping on suspects who come to search George's caravan for something he may have died for. When a long-lost ram recounts an incident that occurred upon his departure years earlier, Miss Maple uncovers the catalyst for George's death. The wooly troupe reveals the crime's solution in a near-Shakespearean mime at the annual "Smartest Sheep in Glennkill" contest. The author's sheep's-eye view and the animals' literal translation of the strange words and deeds of the human species not only create laugh-out-loud humor but also allow the animals occasional flashes of accidental brilliance.
I LOVE BOOKS!
Welcome to my WILD Life!
First off, you'll be amazed to know that last night, after I wrote my Friday update Newsletter and after 5 days of hysterically searching for that lost tote of 'stuff' .. I found it! In a large SEE-THRU tote bag I'd brought back from Market with me, under several skeins of wool yarn and some felting batt. Dave just covered his face with one hand and didn't make eye contact with me (without giggling) for about 20 minutes.
sigh
This morning started off with my being forced off my country dirt road by three wayward ponies. Called 911 and got Genesee County- they forwarded me to Oakland county's 911 because that was the cross road. After 20 minutes of holding the only one who had a halter on, and being kicked (slightly), turned him loose to rejoin his 2 other buddies (it was a glorious reunion!!). Since we're out in the 'boonies', the State Police are the ones who will be coming .. and it 'could' take them the better part of a day to come out on that call.
Last I saw, they were gleefully trotting across a 30 acre tree/field area ... going who knows where.
Did call local police when I got to the shop .. was told it wasn't their jurisdiction. sigh They forwarded me back to 911 again! We had quite the windstorm last night and I'll bet you that's when they must have gotten loose.
I told 'everyone' that I just wanted to notify them the threesome were heading out of one county into another in case someone called looking for them.
At least the ponies didn't head for my garage to bunk with the squirrels!!
Then, once I turned onto the main pavement which is 45 mph but everyone tries to go 55 mph, I put the brakes on as there was a HUGE snapping turtle right in the middle of my lane heading toward the lake. The cars coming up behind me did not appreciate my caring about nature and it's critters (I was NOT getting out of the car and picking up a snapper that had a shell wider than a basketball who was intent on getting to where he was going!). After oncoming traffic cleared, I was able to cross over the center lane to avoid Mr. Yurtle The Turtle .. and as the car behind me swung out and passed me AT THAT TIME and gave me a 'salute' of one kind .. I waved and gave him a HUGE smile!
Now .. at the shop. No sign of wildlife here today!
sigh
This morning started off with my being forced off my country dirt road by three wayward ponies. Called 911 and got Genesee County- they forwarded me to Oakland county's 911 because that was the cross road. After 20 minutes of holding the only one who had a halter on, and being kicked (slightly), turned him loose to rejoin his 2 other buddies (it was a glorious reunion!!). Since we're out in the 'boonies', the State Police are the ones who will be coming .. and it 'could' take them the better part of a day to come out on that call.
Last I saw, they were gleefully trotting across a 30 acre tree/field area ... going who knows where.
Did call local police when I got to the shop .. was told it wasn't their jurisdiction. sigh They forwarded me back to 911 again! We had quite the windstorm last night and I'll bet you that's when they must have gotten loose.
I told 'everyone' that I just wanted to notify them the threesome were heading out of one county into another in case someone called looking for them.
At least the ponies didn't head for my garage to bunk with the squirrels!!
Then, once I turned onto the main pavement which is 45 mph but everyone tries to go 55 mph, I put the brakes on as there was a HUGE snapping turtle right in the middle of my lane heading toward the lake. The cars coming up behind me did not appreciate my caring about nature and it's critters (I was NOT getting out of the car and picking up a snapper that had a shell wider than a basketball who was intent on getting to where he was going!). After oncoming traffic cleared, I was able to cross over the center lane to avoid Mr. Yurtle The Turtle .. and as the car behind me swung out and passed me AT THAT TIME and gave me a 'salute' of one kind .. I waved and gave him a HUGE smile!
Now .. at the shop. No sign of wildlife here today!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Designers are people too!
Had a customer the other day quite outraged that it was taking 3+ weeks to receive the items she had ordered. She wanted two hand-painted frames to go with specific much older designs, and several charts that needed to be ordered directly from the designer and not through a distributor. Even though the frames were quite a bit older, she just couldn't figure out why the designer (1) didn't already have them made, and (2) what was taking the charts so long. It should only take a couple of days she'd figured.
In our needle art Industry, we are really the 'mom and pop' businesses of 'yore. The designers do not have warehouses in which to store thousands of charts and frames. They have a spare room in their home, or part of the basement. When they run out of stock, they do not automatically 'make more' ... it's a supply and demand business. If a chart hasn't sold in 8 years lets say, and the chart needs to be re-printed, it probably won't be. At least, not immediately. Why pay that kind of money in the hopes that someone, rather many hundreds of someone, will now want multiple charts of that design? The same for 'custom hand-painted frames' .. when out of stock, another will be made when there is that call for it.
Plus, in this mom and pop industry we know and love so well, designers do not have 'people' sitting around manning phones waiting for orders to be called in, people packing up orders. They have 'themselves'. They do not have a design studio they 'go' to .. they design in their homes. And, just like you and me, the designers have a life. Sometimes a family illness or tragedy befalls. There is no one in their 'office' to take over in crisis times like that. (I remember one customer who was calling us daily about her order .. and the designer had had a major heart attack. The customer was informed this, but that didn't seem to make a difference .. she wanted her order!) Sometimes a designer is planning for their childs' wedding or college .. and the design part of the business has to be put on a back burner until they can get back to it. Sometimes a designer goes on a vacation. There is no one left at home to run their business for them. It all waits until their return. In this customer's case ... the designer was on a business trip in Europe. We didn't know she was. And said designer didn't have to tell us that she was going on a business trip and since I'd e-mailed the order in, there was no answering machine message advising me of this.
Illness, death, divorce, weddings, college, babies, vacations .. just like us, the designers have these happening in their daily lives too. And since they are a 'designer', it's up to them to balance their business with their life events, just like we are forced to do.
Just thought I'd put in a good word for the men and women that keep our fingers so stitchingly entertained! Designers - I appreciate you!
And just a side line that has nothing to do with this blog ... at the top right hand side of this page is the LINK to my Etsy store - Deb Felt It ... the little 'black sheep with the big Etsy heart'!
In our needle art Industry, we are really the 'mom and pop' businesses of 'yore. The designers do not have warehouses in which to store thousands of charts and frames. They have a spare room in their home, or part of the basement. When they run out of stock, they do not automatically 'make more' ... it's a supply and demand business. If a chart hasn't sold in 8 years lets say, and the chart needs to be re-printed, it probably won't be. At least, not immediately. Why pay that kind of money in the hopes that someone, rather many hundreds of someone, will now want multiple charts of that design? The same for 'custom hand-painted frames' .. when out of stock, another will be made when there is that call for it.
Plus, in this mom and pop industry we know and love so well, designers do not have 'people' sitting around manning phones waiting for orders to be called in, people packing up orders. They have 'themselves'. They do not have a design studio they 'go' to .. they design in their homes. And, just like you and me, the designers have a life. Sometimes a family illness or tragedy befalls. There is no one in their 'office' to take over in crisis times like that. (I remember one customer who was calling us daily about her order .. and the designer had had a major heart attack. The customer was informed this, but that didn't seem to make a difference .. she wanted her order!) Sometimes a designer is planning for their childs' wedding or college .. and the design part of the business has to be put on a back burner until they can get back to it. Sometimes a designer goes on a vacation. There is no one left at home to run their business for them. It all waits until their return. In this customer's case ... the designer was on a business trip in Europe. We didn't know she was. And said designer didn't have to tell us that she was going on a business trip and since I'd e-mailed the order in, there was no answering machine message advising me of this.
Illness, death, divorce, weddings, college, babies, vacations .. just like us, the designers have these happening in their daily lives too. And since they are a 'designer', it's up to them to balance their business with their life events, just like we are forced to do.
Just thought I'd put in a good word for the men and women that keep our fingers so stitchingly entertained! Designers - I appreciate you!
And just a side line that has nothing to do with this blog ... at the top right hand side of this page is the LINK to my Etsy store - Deb Felt It ... the little 'black sheep with the big Etsy heart'!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
I'm Gonna Go To A Concert!!!
Carole King and James Taylor are coming to the Palace Of Auburn Hills for their one-night only "Troubadour Reunion" concert ... Thursday May 27.
I have been pondering this for the past week (ish) ever since I heard the announcment. Now I don't know WHY I had to ponder it as (1) Carole King is my all time most favorite ever in the whole entire world singer; (2) I've seen her in concert 3 times; (3) I own ever single album, cassette, or cd she's ever released; (4) I know just about all of her songs word for word and tune for tune (I'm not yet quite a stalker); (5) James Taylor is my most favorite male singer even though I've never had the opportunity to see him 'live' (Simon & Garfunkle rate as best duo, and of course, the Beatles reign supreme as my most favorite group!).
So Saturday, once I got the computers back up and running here at the shop, I went into Ticketmaster to see about tickets. Of course, all the 'really great' ones were gone, but .. tickets WERE still available! I thought about calling home to ask Dave if he was interested, but then thought no .. he'll have to ponder that question and if he wants to or not for the next several weeks .. at the shortest. Grabbed my trusty, unfortunately not so dusty, MasterCard and hit PURCHASE TICKETS! ta da .... two tickets purchased ... done!
Then I left for home ... told Dave what I'd done and asked if he'd go with me, and stood there with my arm around his waist ... for the longest time ... while he pondered. (told ya so!) Then he asked me, how long would the concert be from when we got there till when we left. I should have known! Dave won't go any place where he'll be forced to go 2 hours (and one minute) without smoking a cigarette. deep sigh
So there I was with two tickets for the concert ... and no one to go with.
:(
WAIT! I'll check with some friends first to see if one of them would like to attend the concert with me ... I'll 'gift' that extra ticket out! Then I realized, that if someone was going to go with me, even if it was for free, certain requirements would have to be met first .. as that person would be sitting right NEXT to me:
(1) They would be attending AND realizing that I am now like a small child counting the days down till Christmas morning and am absolutely beside myself awaiting this event.
(2) I will probably spontaniously break out into song (although softly) even though I've never been asked to record anything using my own voice.
(3) I will be excited. See #1
(4) And if riding together, they would have to listen to me talk all about the concert we'd just seen all the way home .. in all that concert traffic.
Kathy, with a very LOUD e-mailed YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! agreed to all conditions and even said she has a 'lighter app' on her phone so we can show JT and Carole just how much we love them at the end of the show!
I saw where Amazon has the Toubador cd available for purchase of today and .... decided to wait. I want to be surprised first at the concert, then I'll purchase it so I can hear it over and over and over again!
Whooo Hooooooo
I have been pondering this for the past week (ish) ever since I heard the announcment. Now I don't know WHY I had to ponder it as (1) Carole King is my all time most favorite ever in the whole entire world singer; (2) I've seen her in concert 3 times; (3) I own ever single album, cassette, or cd she's ever released; (4) I know just about all of her songs word for word and tune for tune (I'm not yet quite a stalker); (5) James Taylor is my most favorite male singer even though I've never had the opportunity to see him 'live' (Simon & Garfunkle rate as best duo, and of course, the Beatles reign supreme as my most favorite group!).
So Saturday, once I got the computers back up and running here at the shop, I went into Ticketmaster to see about tickets. Of course, all the 'really great' ones were gone, but .. tickets WERE still available! I thought about calling home to ask Dave if he was interested, but then thought no .. he'll have to ponder that question and if he wants to or not for the next several weeks .. at the shortest. Grabbed my trusty, unfortunately not so dusty, MasterCard and hit PURCHASE TICKETS! ta da .... two tickets purchased ... done!
Then I left for home ... told Dave what I'd done and asked if he'd go with me, and stood there with my arm around his waist ... for the longest time ... while he pondered. (told ya so!) Then he asked me, how long would the concert be from when we got there till when we left. I should have known! Dave won't go any place where he'll be forced to go 2 hours (and one minute) without smoking a cigarette. deep sigh
So there I was with two tickets for the concert ... and no one to go with.
:(
WAIT! I'll check with some friends first to see if one of them would like to attend the concert with me ... I'll 'gift' that extra ticket out! Then I realized, that if someone was going to go with me, even if it was for free, certain requirements would have to be met first .. as that person would be sitting right NEXT to me:
(1) They would be attending AND realizing that I am now like a small child counting the days down till Christmas morning and am absolutely beside myself awaiting this event.
(2) I will probably spontaniously break out into song (although softly) even though I've never been asked to record anything using my own voice.
(3) I will be excited. See #1
(4) And if riding together, they would have to listen to me talk all about the concert we'd just seen all the way home .. in all that concert traffic.
Kathy, with a very LOUD e-mailed YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! agreed to all conditions and even said she has a 'lighter app' on her phone so we can show JT and Carole just how much we love them at the end of the show!
I saw where Amazon has the Toubador cd available for purchase of today and .... decided to wait. I want to be surprised first at the concert, then I'll purchase it so I can hear it over and over and over again!
Whooo Hooooooo
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